The Cat that got the Cream...

Another comedy marathon at Bar XS again on Tuesday, but this time, there was no danger of anyone falling before the finish line tape.

Greg Cook kicked off the evening in his usual deadpan style with a horde of new material from one of the most prolific writers on the circuit.

Unfortunately, Greg's latest crop was in need of some gentle pruning, and again, he seemed to have dropped the pace of his delivery which stopped him getting the momentum up. Still the pieces that did hit the mark were as usual, incisive and most of all, piss funny.

Next up was amenable Aussie lass, Kerry Leigh.

For a new act Kerry’s performance is very promising. Good, confident well-timed delivery mainly let down by the predictability of its nature. For example the oral sex/phone sex section. You could see the punchlines coming over the hill like a Green Goddess admiring the scenery. [Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be Ron Atkinson - Spider].

That said, some of her material is fantastic. Tall tales with a twist. One to watch for the future.

Henrik Elmer was next on the Carling-sponsored stage, and this man would have got comic of the night if it wasn’t for the mighty Reginald D Hunter.

Now here’s an act performing in a second language and still taking the roof off the place. Elmer’s performance is almost scientific with a Mercedes Benz style precision. Each gag is carefully crafted to maximise the laughs.

That said, this isn’t a comic just going through the motions of accepted gag writing. There’s something more to what he is doing that gives him the edge he has. His deadpan delivery draws the crowd in very quickly and the timing is perfection.

A flawless performance from a star of the future, and he didn’t trash my flat.

Malarkey regular Dominic Woodward was back at his second favourite comedy club to try out some new material.

And it was big improvement on his last 'carpet cleaner' tale that tried out at Malarkey. Some good, to the point material, with the much needed pay-offs. All delivered with the Woodward charm and energy. Cheers Dom.

Jonathan Mayor delivered his usual glittered up to the hilt, it’s all me, me, me performance.

This is a very slick routine with some clever little devices thrown in here and there. A convincing character with bags of energy, good timing and great delivery. Shame the crowd on Tuesday didn’t seem to agree with me. A very muted response.

And as a perfect contrast to the glitter of Jon came a welcome return for the Karate Kid of comedy, Mr Roland Gent.

And this really was Roly at his best. The dynamics of the set were perfect and built nicely towards the end. I just can’t fault this performance. Loads of new gags in there and Roland really seemed to have got the presentation just right. Good work fella.

The headline set of the evening was probably the most engaging piece of stand up I have ever had the pleasure to encounter.

The cool man of comedy, Reginald D. Hunter took to the stage and instantly took control. The crowd were hypnotised from the first line, right through to his thoroughly deserved encore.

Here’s a comic than can go for three minutes at a time without a laugh but still has the audience in the palm of his hand, then hitting them with the pay off.

His calm measured delivery of a wide mixture of material is bang on the money. He moves from more conventional territory like sex to challenging people’s views of George W. with ease, and his view on relationships is a very genuine insight.

This is comedy to get the grey matter ticking. Leading the audience down the usual George Bush the brainless maniac avenue, and suddenly doing a U turn.

All this pinned together with the usual Hadoke charm and occasional aggression meant that this was one the best nights in the history of Malarkey.

Lee.